Bending machine



Jul 17, 1928.

Y J. Y. BROWN ET AL BENDING ucn'ina mea'June 19, 1926 2 Shoots-Sheet July 17, 1928. 1,677,746

J. Y. BROWN ETfAL BENDING IACHINB Filed June 19, 1926 whens-sneez- 3 i r n Patented July 17, 1928.

-JOHN Y. BROWN AND JOHN R. BROWNING} OF EVlERE'.I."J.VI1'.|LIEI, WEST VIRGINIA.

IBENDING MACHINE. v

Application flled lune 19, 1926; Serial no. 117,093.

Our invention relates to a machine for:

bending metal bars and has particular reference to a machine especially des gned for use 1n bending railway rails, I

bent to curved form, or to bend to curved formrails which are straight.

Our machine is of the; type embodying; three or more pairs of rollers betweenwhich a'baror rail'is adapted to be passed'either m to straighten or to bend same to curved form, and our: purpose, generally speaking, is to] A provide a machine of this type that is simple in construction, strong, durable, relatively cheap and easy to produce and thoroughly reliable and efiicient in operation, its particular'advantage being that, large-quantities of bars ,or rails may be straightened or bent to curved form in a minimum of time and It j between the rollers neither the rollers nor other parts of the machine will be marred or damagedthereby. Also, it is our more particular purpose 'to providefmeans for quickly and easily adjusting one of the pairs of rollers with respectto the other pairs of so rollers, so that bars or rails may, be bent to any desired curve.

With the foregoing and otherpurposes in view. our invention consists in the novelv features of construction, combination and arrangementv of parts as will be hereinafterv more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and defined in the appended claim. V

In the drawings, wherein like characters of reference denote corresponding parts in the. differentviews p c ,Fig. 1 is a side elevation of ajbar or rail bending machine embodying the novel features of our invention; u v Fig. 2, a top plan view of our machine; v Fig. 3, a section onthe line 3-3 of Fig. r 4

Fig. 4, a sectionon theline 4.4 ofFig.

By reference to the drawings it will'be ob-.

5o served that our machine includes essentially a bed plate 10, preferably but not necessarily of elongated, rectangular shape, having r13 of spaced, parallel frame either to' straighten rails which have previously been djacent to one longitudinal: H 4 I v machinaand ournaled for rotation in each 4.1: teammates ay than? new .locli'z's' s4 is mar-item] either be formed integrally with said bed "Plate as her in showmor be form Separate 1y therefrom and be secured rigidly thereto in'any desired'manner. The various-elements going to make up our complete machine are mounted onsaid bed plate and the latter may in turnbe mounted .on anysuitwhereby the machine as an entirety may Qn- UNITED STAT*ES ;PA-TEN.T' OF ICE.

abletype of wheeled truck (not shown) I venientlybe transportedfrompla'ce to place. I

The frame members 12,12 are of webbed,

construction and "in the present instance each spaced points three vertically extending beatof them h'as formed therein at longitudinally I ing guide channels let all .of, which open through the tops of their respective frame members and extenddownwardly into the I latter anydesired distance the two' outer most channels of each frame member terminating in this instance at their lowerends a short distance aboveth'e'up'per face of bedplate 10 and the, intermediate channels opening at their lower ends into enlar ed cut out spaces 16 formed said frame members. I

Journaled in suitable bearings 18 at the sides of the frame members 12 is a horizontal shaft 20 which extends transversely with respectto said frame members and is located beneath the intermediate channels 14 within the spaces 16. On "this shaft is secured a pair of'eccentric disks 22, 22 which, respectively, underlie the lower open ends of the two intermediate channels 14.

" An upper bearing block 24 and a lower bearing block 26 is mounted in each channel 14, grooves being formed in the sides of said blocks to receive ribs 28. which project into the channels 14 fromthe walls of the frame members defining said channels whereby said blocks are permitted to slide vertically in said;channels,but are held against move 'rnent in allother directions. 1

The four lower, outermostblocks 26 rest at their lower'ends directly against thebottom walls'ofthe four outermost channels 14 whereby their'downward movement is limited, whereas the two lower, intermediate blocks" 26 rest. at their lower ends upon the eccentric disks'22 22, respectively,'whereby they may be raised or lowered by means of said eccentriedisks. f

The blocks 24" and the blocks 26 obviously are arranged in. pairs transversely of the v my 80 while journaled for rotation in each pair oi lower blocks 26 1s a horizontal shaft 32, all of said shafts extending transversely across the space betweenthe frame members l2, 12 as is manifest. v

Secured to each upper shaft 30,-between the frame members 12, 12, is roller 34:,

while secured to each lowershaft 32, be-

- tween said frame members is a roller '36,

three "pairs of rollers v each pair including one upper and one lower roller, thus being disposed at spacedv points longitudinally of.

the frame members between the latter.

Bolted or otherwise removably secured over the top of each frame member12 so as to close the upper ends otthe channels 14 1s a plate 38, and threadedin each of said plates are three screw members or' bolts 40,

' one in alinement with eachchannel 14:, each either carrying or bearmg against a d1slr42.

A coil spring 44 is arranged between theupper-end of each 'upper bearmg block 24;.and

Na-related disk e2, these springs serving as is ll'1alllfGSt,.--tO irnpose downward pressure on the upper bearingbloclrs 24; and thus hold the upper rollers 34 yieldably in contact with their relatedllower rollers 36, screw. members or bolts -40 providing means whereby the force of said springs .maybe .ad usted.

, drive the gears, 46, ,an. electric vmotor 'Each of the shafts 30. and 32 has keyed or otherwise suitably secured thereto a gear wheel t6, the gears ofrelated upper and lower shafts being in mesh with one another and the gears of the lower. setiof shafts being connected.together through the intermediation .ofidler gearsdfi mounted on suitable stub shafts projecting from one of the frame me1nbersl2 whereby all of said shafts "30, 32 are caused to rotate in unison, the vupper. shafts in one direction and the lower shafts in an opposite direction.

Any suitable. means may be, employed to mounted on; the bed plate 'lOan'd connected I with oneof the lower outermost gears 46 by hmeans of a train ofreducedspeed gears 52.

being employed in this instance for that purpose. a I

In order to prov de a .convenlent means of -rotatablyiadjusting the eccentric disks 22,

22 for the purposeof raisingor lowering the intermediate pairof rollers alever 54 is secured toshaft 20 which lever includes a bolt rusted position.

56 cooperating witha toothed r'segment 58 suitably secured to the .bed plate or; to one of the frame members 12 whereby said eccentrio disksmay. be held in any rotatablya'd- Ifdesirechcross members 60 maybe bolted across the ends of. the frame members I2, 12 to brace and stiffen thelatter.

The rollers 34L and 86' as is understood are formed of the proper shape, so that cooperating upper and lower rollersform between, them an opening of substantially the same cross sectional shape as the bars or rails to be bent by the machine, it being further un-.

shape. .In the present instance the rollers are so shaped that an opening of substantiallyfihe samecross sectional shape as a railway rail is formed between each pair of cooperating upper and lower rollers thereby adapting the vmachine for bending railway rails, and, assuming the notor' tobe driving thevarious rollers in the manneraforemen-' tioned, the operation of our machine isapparent ,and as follows: If a ,rail is to be straightened, lever 54- is swung to rotate the eccentrics 22 to a position in which the intermediate pair of rollers will beheld with ithe rail receiving opening between themin allnement with f or in the samehorizontal plane as the open ngs between the other two pairs vof rollers. A curved rail to'be straightened then is; introduced at one end between one of the outermost pairs of rollers and fedbetween such pair of rollers suc cessively between the other pairs of rollers,

emerging fromthe last pair of rollers bevtweenwhich it passes truly straightdue of ,course to the simultaneous three point contact of thethree-alined' pairs of rollers therewithuduring its passage througlrthe machine. ,If,on the other'hand, it-is desired :to bend a straight rail to curved. form; the

eccentrics 22 are adjusted either to raise or lower the nterrnediatepair of rollersas may be desired, so that the open ng between them .will, be, disposed the-proper distance. out of line with the openings between the rollers of the two other pairs to impart the desired curve to the rail and the latter then is fed through the machineasbefore, sameemerg ing bentto-a curve due to the simultaneous, three point, disalined contact ofthe'three sets of rollers therewith. Shouldany foreignsubstance of a hard naturebe fed with a rail or bar through the machinethe springs .44- will yield toiperrnit its passage between the. rollers th ereby avoiding damage to-the latter.

Sufficient looseness orplay is provided between the teeth, of the gears {1.6. 46 and 48 to permit the aforementioned adjustments of the rollers by means ,of ,theeccentric's-22, 22,

i and said teeth are sufiiciently deep to-main- .tainthe gears at all/times in driving engage- .ment. with one 7 another.

.From the foregoinghdescription considered in connection with the accompanying drawings it is believed that the construction, operation and advantages of our improved machine willbe fully understood. We desire to point out, however, that various changes and desirable additions may be made in and to the structural arrangement shown within the spirit and scope of our invention as defined in the appended claim.

Veclaim:

In a bar or rail bendingmachine, a pair of spaced frame members, three pairs of bearing blocks carried by each frame member, shafts connecting corresponding blocks of the respective frame members, a roller carried by each shaft, the intermediate pairs of blocks being slidably mounted in said tating same, a fixedtoothed segment, andmeans carried by said lever cooperating with said segment to retain said lever in different angularly adjusted positions. In testimony whereof we hereunto afiix our signatures.

JOHN Y. BROWN. I JOHN R. BROWNING. 

